Ever wondered how to start a lifestyle blog? After 4.5+ years of blogging, dozens of brand partnerships, press trips, and more, I’m spilling all my secrets in this ultimate guide. Enjoy!
Wow, this post has been a long time coming! I’m fairly certain I’ve had it on my editorial calendar for at least a year (does that make me a bad blogger, lol?).
That being said, if I had a dollar for every time someone asked me about how to start a lifestyle blog…I might not be rich — but I’d be well on my way.
There’s so much curiosity about the world of blogging and how to start a lifestyle blog, and I can’t say I’m surprised.
After all, my blog has allowed me to partner (i.e. get paid to work with) a variety of internationally recognized brands that I already love, and it’s even sent me on some amazing trips (like my most recent press trip to the Catskill Mountains!).
Over the past 3.5 years I’ve been able to grow a following of tens of thousands of wonderful people and also develop a steady income that has earned me thousands upon thousands of dollars…all for doing something I absolutely love.
I feel like there’s a million how to start a blog posts out there already, which is part of the reason I’ve held off on creating my own.
However, everyone’s experience breaking into the blogging industry is so different that I want to share with you my personal take.
Many of you have reached out to me already asking me to share my experiences and tips, so let’s finally do this thing!
How to Start a Lifestyle Blog [11 Things You NEED to Know]
Set Up Your Blog/Website
So you want to start a lifestyle blog, eh?
First things first, you need to set up a website.
95% of the people who message me for blogging tips already have a blog started…BUT, it’s not set up right…like at all 😭
Please, please, please read through the directions below and actually follow them! I promise it’ll make things SO much easier down the road.
I didn’t set up my website properly when I first started blogging, and it was the *biggest* pain in the butt switching everything over once I really started making money and needed a stronger platform.
So…
Choose the Right Hosting (THIS IS SO IMPORTANT, DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP)
Okay, with all the above being said…for your new lifestyle blog you will be setting up a WordPress.org account.
There is a VERY big difference between WordPress.com and WordPress.org, btw.
For example, it is written into WordPress.com’s terms & conditions that you can not monetize your blog on this platform!
AKA, you cannot ever be paid for your work. Even if you’re starting your blog as a hobby, do not go this route. I know it’s easy to set up, but seriously do not waste your time.
You may want the option to do gifted product reviews, sponsored posts, advertising, etc. in the future, and you will completely lose out on that opportunity by trying to cut corners now.
So.
The first step to creating your WordPress.ORG blog…head on over to Bluehost to set up your hosting. This is where you will install WordPress.org.
In case you’re wondering what a host is, I like to compare it to a brick house. It’s the place where your website will live, but you still have to choose your tools and furnish the inside (i.e. install WordPress.org and build your site). You have to have the structure though in order to get started.
There are tons of hosts to choose from, and there are also tons of both good and bad reviews for each of these hosts.
All I can tell you is that Bluehost has treated me very well.
They have 24 hour support by chat or phone call, and their techs have spent literal HOURS with me on the phone diagnosing my problems and helping me out (many times with issues that I myself created in the first place).
I highly recommend Bluehost if you’re starting a lifestyle blog, because they have phenomenal tech support that may very well be your saving grace if your website gets wonky!
Bluehost also only starts at $3.95 a month…so it’s super affordable! I’ve tried plenty of other platforms (Squarespace, Wix, Weebly, etc.), and many of them are not only more expensive, but they don’t even have half the power of a WordPress.com website.
So, like I said, first thing you need to do is go and set up your hosting with Bluehost. It takes 5 minutes! Also, I know this process can feel intimidating.
Go ">sign up for your Bluehost account (or if you have another preferred host) and then come back to this post 🙂
Do everything I mention in this article in chunks, and I promise you’ll have an amazing lifestyle blog when you’re done! Just don’t get burnt out or overwhelmed.
You’re taking the right steps to creating a profitable lifestyle blog; it just takes a bit of time and effort.
Claim Your Domain
Now that you’ve signed up for hosting, you need to login to your account and claim your domain/URL.
Make sure to think long and hard about what you want your domain name to be, because changing it later is a HUGE pain (speaking from experience).
Overall though, I recommend picking something catchy and fun that relates to what you’re going to be blogging about. Or, you could go the self-titled route like me.
WARNING: If you’re naming your blog after a category you’ll be writing about, make sure that it’s something you’re going to stick with over the years! I started out as a fashion blogger and then later learned that I didn’t want to just blog about clothing. I ended up having to change my fashion-related domain name since it didn’t really make sense with my content anymore.
Spoiler: It was a huge freakin’ mess, and I’m still trying to clean it up a year later.
P.S. I ended up opting with a self-titled blog name, because I knew that naming my blog after myself wouldn’t pigeonhole me into any type of category (like my old blog name The Blonde Chiffon, which is way too fashion forward for the blog nowadays!).
Check to see if your domain is available here:
If you can’t think of the perfect blog/domain name, don’t worry! Skip down to the “Get Your Branding Straight” section and work through those steps. Then come back to this part once you have a better idea of your brand, and it’ll be easier to choose a great name.
Install WordPress
Did you ">sign up for hosting and choose a killer domain?
Okay, good! Now time to install WordPress (remember this is different from WordPress.com, and you are on the right track!
I know it seems like a lot of hassle to go through, ESPECIALLY you already have a WordPress.COM account, but remember the whole monetization thing? No bueno. ALSO: WordPress.org is the only standard when it comes to blogging as a profession.
I could tell you how to install WordPress on your Bluehost account, but honestly there are already some pretty great tutorials out there. Just Google it. That’s what I did!
Here are some basic instructions from Bluehost, too, to get you started.
Purchase an Beautiful Theme
The hard part is officially over…go you! You’ve made it farther than SO many of the girls who have contacted me wanting to know how to start a lifestyle blog and do this for a living. Now onto the fun stuff, like designing your site.
Check out some of my favorite places to purchase themes, like Pipdig, Restored 316, and Etsy.
Once you’ve found something that catches your eye and appeals to your brand, go ahead and purchase it.
While you can hire someone to install your theme for you, most of the time it’s easy enough that you can do it yourself.
All you need to do is download the theme file and upload it to your WordPress.org account!
Again, if you’re having trouble with this step, there are some great, easy to follow tutorials already out there.
Get Your Branding Straight
Now that your website is all in order, let’s talk about branding and marketing your new lifestyle blog.
Some of you may know that I have a degree in marketing.
To say it has helped me in the blogging world would be an understatement.
While you don’t need to have gone to school for communications to learn how to start a lifestyle blog, my studies gave me a great foundation for launching my site in 2014.
Regardless of your educational background, you need to be a marketer if you want your blog to succeed.
After all, you DO want people to read your blog besides just your mom and your boyfriend, right?
So, the first thing you need to do is get a plan in place on how you’re going to develop this new venture into something that the world will truly love!
Here’s how…
Create a Vision Board
One of the first things I’d recommend to any new blogger is to create a vision board. If you want to start a lifestyle blog and turn into a career, you need to do more than just write some posts and call it a day.
You need to create a brand.
Check out Pinterest, Tumblr, WeHeartIt, etc., and start creating a collage of images that inspire you.
What kind of content do you want to share with your readers?
How do you want them to feel when they visit your site?
Let these questions guide you in choosing images for your board, and refine it until it feels like you’ve got a solid idea of what your blog/brand looks like on a visual level.
Write Your Mission Statement
You might hate me for saying this now, but you’ll thank me later.
You need a mission statement for your blog.
Oh, and that mission statement needs to be more specific than to inspire people. Okay?
I know it’s tough in the beginning to make these big decisions about what you want to write about, what your aesthetic will be, etc., but trust me. It’s easier to get this all settled now.
You will constantly be evolving and can change all this later! BUT, you need to have a solid plan here of who you’re writing for and WHY.
You know the saying. Write for everyone, and you write for NO ONE.
I promise it’s true, and the sooner you accept this the sooner you’ll be able to create a profitable lifestyle blog.
ALSO: If I could go back 3.5 years ago and give myself just one piece of advice, it’d be to figure out what value I’m going to provide to my reader from the get-go.
I wrote aimlessly about whatever I felt like for years before I figured out that I needed to be consistent and provide some sort of value for my audience in each and EVERY post.
Select a Color Palette
Finally! One of the fun parts when you start a lifestyle blog…choosing a color palette.
You might not see all of these steps as absolute essentials, but it really is easier to get all of this written out from the start.
Clear branding can be the difference between consistently booking paid sponsorships and hearing nothing but crickets from your audience.
Choosing a color palette is important because you will not only use these colors to customize your website theme a bit (link colors, logo, etc.), but you can use these colors in your social media graphics as well.
This is one of the keys to creating RECOGNIZABLE content!
You want readers to know it’s your content before they even see your name. That’s good branding, folks.
Design a Logo (or Hire a Designer)
Having started my blog in college, I designed my first blog logo all by myself.
I invested in a subscription to Photoshop and played around until i found a font I liked. I think I added a few hearts to it as well, but I kept things super simple.
It worked for a long time! I eventually evolved and updated my logo, and my most recent one is actually from a custom design I purchased off of Fiverr.
I think I paid around $20 to have someone handwrite me a few different logo options.
Looking back on my first logo, I’m shocked that I ever thought it was an acceptable design to publish on my blog, haha.
Hey, you grow over time though and get better.
My recommendation for when you first start a lifestyle blog is to design your own logo or outsource the work for a low cost on Fiverr or Etsy.
My branding has changed so much over the years, and it really would have sucked to have invested a lot of money into a logo in the beginning, only to scrap it now that it doesn’t really fit my blog anymore. The key is to have something to get started with.
Then, once you’re consistent and gaining a following, take it from there.
Start Writing Your First Posts
Hallelujah!
The worst is over my friend (unless you’re a marketing student like me, and you find the above steps super exciting and fun!).
Now that you’ve got your site all set up and your branding in place, it’s time to start growing an audience with some killer blog posts.
Make sure you download my secret Blog Post Checklist below! I’m sharing tips & tricks that have taken me years to grasp and that have ultimately exploded my blog traffic exponentially…not to mention, they’re super simple!
Create an Editorial Calendar
One thing that I wish I had done when I first decided to start a lifestyle blog is to have started and kept up with an editorial calendar.
As they say content is king. BUT…consistency is queen!
Posting to your blog every other month (or worse, just “whenever you have time”) isn’t a great strategy.
Decide how often you’re going to post, create a running list of content ideas on your phone, and start mapping out your editorial calendar.
Laying everything out is not only a good way to keep yourself accountable, but it also makes it easier to see what topics you’re covering and how often.
Basically, if you’re being inconsistent and posting about health one day, fashion the other, and travel the next, you’ll be able to see it and address.
It’s totally okay to not have a strict niche (I don’t!), but you want to make sure all of your posts connect to your mission statement and that they are always on brand.
Provide Value for Your Readers
I said it earlier in this post, but it’s worth restating.
You must provide value to your readers if you want to be taken seriously as a blogger.
Take the time to plan out posts.
Do keyword research to find out more about what people are searching for.
Blogging is not a race to see who can put up the most posts. It’s about quality!
Check out my post on 10 Actionable Ways to Grow Your Blog in 2018 for more tips on creating valuable and share-worthy content that will boost your blog traffic.
Hone Your Photography Skills
Photography skills are a must for any blogger nowadays.
Along with posting valuable content, spend time upping your photography game and learning more about editing. Start an inspiration board for this category too, rounding up some of your favorite blogger photos you aspire to recreate.
Oh, and don’t ever publish a post without any images. Just don’t.
Grow Your Traffic
Now that you know how to start a lifestyle blog, it’s time to actually grow it.
Like I said, I’ve got a whole post dedicated to how to grow your blog traffic, so hop on over and give that a read next!
And do tell…what’s YOUR best advice for someone looking to start a lifestyle blog? If you’re just starting out, what’s your biggest struggle?
